Iditarod teams Monday afternoon made good time running to the first checkpoint of Nenana, despite soft snow on the trail. Many teams passed through, choosing to camp down the trail following their first run from the starting line in Fairbanks. But others stuck around, including Aniak musher Richie Diehl.

“That trail coming in was pretty soft,” Diehl said. “I mean, I was standing on the drag the whole way here, but it was a soft trail, just trying to keep them slow.”

In the first of five 80-plus mile runs of the race, the trail from Nenana continues on the Tanana River 90 miles to Manley Hot Springs. As the sun set Monday evening, longtime racer DeeDee Jonrowe planned to get in a good rest before driving her team on the next big leg:

“My thoughts are, you better break that up. If you have a really hard team that’s raced, you could consider making that in a 10-hour run, but I don’t think that’s the smartest for this group. 10 hours, that’s a long time, in cold weather like this.”

Temperatures were expected to drop to 30 degrees below zero on the first night of the race.

]]>28201For Mushers Who Know Real-Life Struggle, Iditarod is Only Part of a Bigger Journeyhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2016/03/13/for-mushers-who-know-real-life-struggle-iditarod-is-only-part-of-a-bigger-journey/
Mon, 14 Mar 2016 03:20:51 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=21765Iditarod's mid-pack racers are struggling, but for different reasons. For some, the difficulty is the race itself, but for others, it’s the challenges inside the lives they’re away from while out on the trail.]]>http://www.knom.org/wp-audio/2016/03/Iditarod-2016/2016-03-13-MidPack-Package-Zach.mp3

It’s been a week of racing for mushers in the Iditarod, and those in the middle of the pack are struggling. Though, it’s for a variety of different reasons. For some, the difficulty is the race itself, but for others, it’s the challenges inside the lives they’re away from while out on the trail.

“And I didn’t send plastic to here. I don’t have anything ’til I get to the coast, so I’m rummaging through the garbage pile.”

With a cigarette clamped at the side of his mouth, Mackey is frustrated to find himself in the middle of the pack arriving into Galena.

“24 hours ago I thought, ‘ya know what, I really got a shot at the last 15.’ ”

Now, that seems like wishful thinking. Nothing’s gone particularly wrong for Mackey, but he never trained his dogs for a race where everyone seems to be pushing at a record-setting tempo.

“It’s unbelievable the pace that’s being set, and is continuing to be set right across. I’ve said for the last few years, this thing’s turning into a long-distance sprint race.”

In spite of what feels like an aggressive schedule, Mackey feels like he’s continually getting passed, and so is cutting his rests a little shorter.

“I mean, I don’t know what else to do. Come to 50th? With that being said, man, I gotta get to boogying.”

At this point he puts his full attention toward the sled.

In Galena, Cody Strathe prepares to leave the checkpoint at the conclusion of his mandatory, 8-hour Yukon layover. Photo: Zachariah Hughes, KSKA/Alaska Public Media.

Another musher finding the field more competitive than expected is rookie Cody Strathe, who arrived 29th into Galena.

“I mean, to be in the top 30 would be a miracle this year with the amount of teams. So if I can stick in the top 30, that would be awesome.”

Strathe was hoping to be rookie of the year, but there’s a strong Norwegian, Geir Hjelvik, staying stubbornly ahead of him.

“I’ve never seen that person, but they’re ahead of me, they have been the whole time.”

For others, the biggest challenge in this middle chunk of the trail is the physical toll it starts taking. That’s especially true for Karin Hendrickson, who was hit by a car in 2014 during fall training and is still recovering.

“I have to stay on top of the pain medication, which is hard, because it’s starting to make me throw up, so I’m dealing with that a little bit. But if I don’t take it, then it gets to the point where I’m really not that functional. So I’m just sort of balancing a few different things for me, physically.”

Hendrickson is running a team with just two dogs that have ever been to Nome before, and her goal is just getting the others trained up. She’s treating this as a year to rebuild and recuperate, even if that means moving over a thousand cold and icy miles with very little rest.

That’s the case for DeeDee Jonrowe, as well. She’s not physically recuperating, but using the focus and solitude of the trail to recover from a year in which her mother passed just a month after her home burned to the ground during the Sockeye fire.

“I’ve had a bad year, I lost everything I own, and chose these dogs over everything I own. And faced with that, this is what I took: my dogs.”

Jonrowe is having trouble fixing a runner and gets a little help from Tore Albrigtsen, who’s camping next to her.

She is exhausted and hungry, but signs autographs and chats amicably in spite of it. She didn’t train to compete for a top spot this year, just to be alone with her dogs to clear her head.

“I’ve struggled plenty, I know how to struggle.” “So this is easy then?” “Compared to what I’ve been through the last few years, this is a piece of cake.”

And with that, Jonrowe heads off to try and dry her large pink coat in a boiler room.

]]>21765DeeDee Jonrowe: First Musher to Register for the Norton Sound 450http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/12/03/deedee-jonrowe-first-musher-to-register-for-the-norton-sound-450/
Thu, 04 Dec 2014 04:26:41 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=13348The Paul Johnson Memorial Norton Sound 450 sled dog race, which was canceled last year but is scheduled to run in full this February, has one musher officially signed up: Iditarod finisher DeeDee Jonrowe, who mushed the Norton Sound 450 inaugural race in 2012.]]>http://www.knom.org/wp-audio/2014/11/2014-12-03-Jonrowe-NS450.mp3

The Paul Johnson Memorial Norton Sound 450 sled dog race, which was canceled last year but is scheduled to run in full this February, has one musher officially signed up: Iditarod finisher DeeDee Jonrowe, who mushed the Norton Sound 450 inaugural race in 2012.

Jonrowe has mushed the Iditarod 30 times, and is one of a handful of mushing heavyweights to compete in the Norton Sound race, including Martin Buser, Aaron Burmeister, and Ray Redington, Jr.

Race organizer Middy Johnson said the race will begin in Unalakleet on Wednesday, February 11, mushing to Kaltag and back before following the Iditarod trail along the Norton Sound to Nome.

The payout has been set at $30,000, and the Norton Sound 450 will qualify mushers for the Iditarod. The race is held in honor of Iditarod veteran and Norton Sound Sled Dog Club member Paul Johnson, who died of cancer in 2011.

]]>13348Norton Sound 450 Race Ready to Run in 2015http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/13/norton-sound-450-race-ready-to-run-in-2015/
http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/13/norton-sound-450-race-ready-to-run-in-2015/#commentsFri, 14 Nov 2014 06:04:44 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=12923The NS450, which has been significantly shortened and even canceled the past two years due to poor weather, is gearing up to run a full race along the Norton Sound coast in 2015.]]>

The Norton Sound 450, a regional sled dog race along the western coast of Alaska, will run in 2015, race officials say, committing to a race that was canceled last year and severely shortened the year before.

The mid-distance race—officially dubbed the Paul Johnson Memorial Norton Sound 450—was first run in 2012 but significantly shortened in 2013 due to severe weather, and was canceled outright this past season due to funding, local training conditions, and schedule timing.

But an announcement from race organizers, and confirmed by race organizer Middy Johnson, declares the race’s return in full: mushers will run from Unalakleet to Kaltag and back before tracing the Iditarod trail through Norton Sound coastal communities from Shaktoolik to Koyuk, Elim, Golovin, and White Mountain and ultimately finishing in Nome.

Paul Johnson interviewed by KNOM’s Laureli Kinneen at the finish line of Iditarod 2011. Photo: David Dodman, KNOM.

The race, set to start Wednesday, February 11, is run in honor of Iditarod veteran and long-time Norton Sound Sled Dog Club member Paul Johnson, who died of cancer in October of 2011.

Few other details were available as to which mushers might run the race, but the purse has been set at $30,000, significantly more than the 2013 purse of $10,000 that was split between the eight finishing mushers — but still a decrease from the $50,000 purse offered to the top 15 mushers in 2012.

Race officials say the Norton Sound 450 will also qualify mushers for the Iditarod.

Despite drastic changes to the course due to weather in the race’s short history, it’s already attracted mushing heavyweights, like four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser, as well as Iditarod finishers like DeeDee Jonrowe, Aaron Burmeister, and Ray Redington, Jr. But the race has also been a chance for western Alaska mushers to shine: Bethel’s Pete Kaiser has won both of the Norton Sound 450 races, and locals like St. Michael’s Alex Otten, Unalakleet’s Mary Helwig, and Aniak’s Richie Diehl have all run the race in the past.

The Norton Sound Sled Dog Club has been supporting mushing in Unalakleet and around the Norton Sound region since 1971. In 1973, the club started the Norton Sound Portage 200 from Unalakleet to Kaltag and back.

]]>http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/11/13/norton-sound-450-race-ready-to-run-in-2015/feed/212923For both Jonrowe and Smyth, “odd” years leading up to Iditarod 2014http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2014/03/03/for-both-jonrowe-and-smyth-odd-years-leading-up-to-iditarod-2014/
Mon, 03 Mar 2014 11:02:14 +0000http://www.knom.org/wp/?p=7365“It’s been an odd year,” DeeDee Jonrowe says, with regards both to her personal and professional lives. As the veteran musher told KNOM’s Laureli Kinneen in Anchorage, the season has been strange, of course, in its weather patterns. In her neck of the woods, it was lots of snow early, and then – after the…]]>

“It’s been an odd year,” DeeDee Jonrowe says, with regards both to her personal and professional lives.

As the veteran musher told KNOM’s Laureli Kinneen in Anchorage, the season has been strange, of course, in its weather patterns. In her neck of the woods, it was lots of snow early, and then – after the January thaw – hardly any at all. In the wake of the unseasonable warmth, opportunities both to mush and to train her dog team were curtailed.

Her personal life, too, has been challenging, owing to a death in the family and the disruptions and life changes that followed.

With Laureli, the Iditarod fan favorite was cautious but uncertain about this year’s race – its trail, in particular. She hopes that she’ll be able to keep her often-eager dogs at a moderate pace on what may shape up to be a fast trail, and she’s looking forward to making it to Nikolai:

As with DeeDee Jonrowe, Ramey Smyth‘s latest training season has been affected by a marked lack of snow.

It’s been a task requiring unusual effort, the Willow, Alaska musher says, to find conditions good enough in which to train his team.

His team, meanwhile, has seen some changes, especially after the injury of his lead dog in this year’s Kuskokwim 300.

On this year’s trail, which Smyth describes as crash-prone, “rough and unforgiving,” his goals are simple: “to finish and do well by the dogs” and “to be the first one there (in Nome).”

Hear Ramey Smyth in Anchorage:

http://www.knom.org/wp-audio/2014/03/iditarod-2014/2014-02-27-iditarod-ANC-R-Smyth.MP3
]]>7365In case you missed it: live finishes of Iditarod 2013’s top tenhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2013/03/13/in-case-you-missed-it-live-finishes-of-iditarod-2013s-top-ten/
Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:02:01 +0000http://www.knom.org/on-the-trail/wp/?p=2167What a 24 hours it’s been for Iditarod 2013 – and for the town of Nome, whose Burled Arch (the Iditarod finish line) has seen an incredible amount of activity from Tuesday night to now.

At time of writing, 25 mushers have already finished the Last Great Race; it’s nearly half the total number of competitors, overall, and it’s all happened in just a day.

Many of Iditarod’s most closely-watched finishers pulled into town in the wee hours of the morning. (Normally, one might describe that time as the “dead of night,” but as you’ll hear in our live, broadcast recordings, the energy level at the Nome finish line was anything but dead.)

Below are the live finishes of Iditarod 2013’s 4th-through-10th-place mushers; all times listed are for Wednesday, March 13, 2013. (We’ve already posted the recordings of the top three finishers: Mitch Seavey, Aliy Zirkle, and Jeff King.)

http://www.knom.org/wp-audio/2013/03/2013-03-13-knom-ott-finish-10-jonrowe-FINAL.mp3
]]>2167King and Jonrowe, from White Mountainhttp://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2013/03/12/king-and-jonrowe-from-white-mountain/
Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:53:52 +0000http://www.knom.org/on-the-trail/wp/?p=2089The end of Iditarod 2013 is near. While in White Mountain, mushers are looking back at this year’s race and planning their final run into Nome. Jeff King tells KNOM about his run through Koyuk, and explains his extra rest along the trail from Koyuk to Elim, which cost him his lead on Mitch Seavey.

After a short three hour rest on the trail though, his dogs were looking great. King says he had one of the best runs of his career from Elim to White Mountain last night, and he’s looking to make that happen again from White Mountain into Nome. “I’m looking forward to one of the fastest runs I’ve ever had from here to Nome. I did it in ’93 in eight and a half hours from here [White Mountain], and I’m going to do my best to see if we can do something like that.”

DeeDee Jonrowe wants to make the last run into Nome good and clean. The 2013 Iditarod hasn’t afforded her many of those. Jonrowe says it’s been a hard, challenging race: “I’ve worked harder on this race than I have in a lot of races, with a lot less sleep than most races.” DeeDee is looking forward to the warm reception of friends and family when she crosses under the burled arch in Nome: “There’s a lot of things that are exciting about getting to Nome, and it doesn’t matter what position you’re in.”

This week, the 1,000-mile 2013 Iditarod Sled Dog Race finishes in Nome. KNOM is broadcasting trail interviews and frequent updates to this world-class event. The race brings many benefits to the people in bush communities along the race route – some quite unexpected.

Several years ago, a young autistic boy who rarely, if ever, uttered a word met Iditarod veteran DeeDee Jonrowe. Seeing one of her dogs, he immediately began to speak, repeating the dog’s name over and over again. With help from the KNOM family, the boy received a therapy dog, spurring incredible benefits in this young man’s life. This miracle brought tears of joy not only to the family, but to everyone who helped. We thank everyone who helps to make these miracles happen!

]]>4770In Takotna, Jonrowe outlines her “objectives”http://www.knom.org/wp/blog/2013/03/06/in-takotna-jonrowe-outlines-her-objectives/
Thu, 07 Mar 2013 04:35:08 +0000http://www.knom.org/on-the-trail/wp/?p=1730“I want to get through this next, tough trail,” DeeDee Jonrowe says of the Iditarod route past Takotna, where her dog team took its mandatory 24-hour layover on Wednesday.

“(In the past,) I’ve had a bad run on the Yukon, and it is SO not fun, for me or the dogs.”

The Willow, Alaska musher has a number of goals for Iditarod 2013, and chief among them is: “I don’t intend to have a bad run on the Yukon.”

KNOM caught up with Jonrowe in the Takotna checkpoint, where the pink-parka-clad musher talked with trail reporter Laureli Kinneen while attending to her (sometimes-loudly-barking) dogs.

“Everybody runs (the Iditarod) with different objectives,” she says. “My objective is to win… (but also) to have a competitive finish with a good-looking dog team.”

Jonrowe said she was hesitant to push her team too hard this early in the race: not just because her dogs are “a little stiff,” but also because she’d like to avoid dropping dogs unnecessarily.

As of 7:30pm Wednesday evening, DeeDee Jonrowe is in 14th position, concluding her 24-hour layover in Takotna. She arrived at 11:21pm Tuesday night with a full string of 16 dogs; factoring in her starting differential (from the Willow re-start on Sunday), Jonrowe will be eligible to depart Takotna at 12:39am, early Thursday morning.